While Warner Bros.’ hot streak in 2025 has been the talk of Hollywood, it didn’t start off that way. One notable bomb for the studio was the crime movie The Alto Knights, which stars Robert De Niro as rival crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. Now, The Alto Knights 4K release is out, allowing fans to own what might be director Barry Levinson’s final feature film.
“The Alto Knights stars Academy Award winner Robert De Niro in a dual role, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson. The film follows two of New York’s most notorious organized crime bosses, Frank Costello (De Niro) and Vito Genovese (De Niro), as they vie for control of the city’s streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that will reshape the Mafia (and America) forever,” says the official description.
The Alto Knights 4K release gave me a chance to revisit the movie, which I didn’t love upon release, as its slow pacing failed to captivate. What helped my enjoyment this time was that I looked into the real story of both Costello and Genovese in the interim. Knowing the real history helps the film a lot, especially since it skips around a lot. It’s also still a joy to see De Niro put on two solid performances, as he’s truly one of the all-time greats and can still demand the screen.
Previously released on Blu-ray earlier this year, the 4K disc is a definite upgrade. HDR helps the color choices a lot, as you can really appreciate all the work that went into the period piece. There’s also a Dolby Atmos audio track, which is identical to what the Blu-ray had, and delivers solid performance.
Disappointingly, The Alto Knights 4K disc doesn’t come with any special features. The digital copy of the film, which comes with the 4K release, does have one featurette called “One Legend, Two Mobsters,” though. Just a minute long, it’s a quick look at the choice to have De Niro play two characters. Producer Irwin Winkler entertainingly explains that he pitched De Niro (who sadly doesn’t speak in the featurette) to play both men since he couldn’t think of anyone else who could play them better.
The Alto Knights 4K Review: Final Verdict
While it’s not the mob movie classic you’d expect from the pedigree in the film and behind the scenes, The Alto Knights 4K provides a compelling reason to revisit Levinson’s movie. It looks great, and De Niro’s nuances to each character are fun to pick up on in a rewatch. However, if you’re not interested in the true story and gangster history then you’ll likely find the movie itself falls flat, especially since there’s no special features to teach you about it.
Disclosure: ComingSoon received product from the distributor for our The Alto Knights 4K review.
